The Phoenix and The God
by Rae TB
Summary: They were more different than anyone could ever contemplate. And yet they were more alike than they would ever know. Brooklyn and Kai reflective type piece. One shot.


Not much to say except this was inspired by one of FlamesofFury's anime music videos.

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They were more alike than they would ever know.

And yet more different than anyone could ever contemplate.

Both were outsiders, looking in upon a world they were denied. Always able to see it, touch it, taste it, but never be a part of it. Both had grown accustomed to being the best before someone else had come along and destroyed everything they knew to be the truth. Both had succumbed to evil. Both got bored of those they deemed unworthy of their time.

But one was a phoenix, a creature of the light. The other was a shadow, a servant of all that was dark. One viewed beyblading as life where dedication, heart, emotion, and commitment meant the difference between loss and victory. The other saw it as nothing more than a game not to be taken seriously. To him skill, and strength were what won battles, and he had been born with that.

Perhaps it was the mystery the darkness hid within its shadow, or maybe it was the darkness itself. Maybe it was that their goals were similar, and Kai saw Brooklyn within him.

It could have been that the phoenix just wanted to see what it was like to fly in the dark, to glide through the unknown.

Or possibly, it was their differences - the fact that their magnetic charges were diverse.

Positive and negative.

They were drawn together by forces beyond their control.

But most likely...

It was just their destiny to be together, to be both rivals and friends.

Whatever the reason, each encounter left one of them wanting more. The first time Kai had ever seen Brooklyn, intrigue had set in.

"Let's get something straight Kai: I lost to Brooklyn. Someday, I will beat him...but you too will lose," Garland had stated.

The challenge had been thrown down.

Who was this teen prodigy? _What_ was this teen prodigy?

No matter... This was just another test for Kai to pass, another barrier for him to fly over. He would prove Garland wrong. He was a phoenix, a mighty unstoppable bird with wings of fire. What Kai hadn't realized was that his wings were about to be clipped, his once mighty fire distinguished by Zeus' darkness. The child of the light had received warning of this day of reckoning not only from Garland, but from Hiro. He had been told he was out of his league, that BEGA had no room for him. His pride had been insulted and he had been called inferior, worthless to this new organization.

Kai would prove himself to everyone. This battle had been written in the stars, decided eons before he had even been born along with its outcome. Brooklyn was a God...and he...he was just a phoenix, inferior in every way. But he wouldn't believe that...he couldn't believe that. Even if it was true, he would make the impossible possible. He would rise above God and become the massive inferno needed to bring light to Brooklyn's dark. Kai would attempt to defy everything: fate, destiny, and the powers that be.

And he would fail.

But on his way down, he would leave a mark upon his competitor.

The fiery blaze that lit up his purple eyes, the dancing flame within the pupil that merged vibrant oranges, golden yellows, and crimson reds would be forever burned within the recesses of Brooklyn's mind. The impact of Kai's blazing yearning to win would reach further than he, or his competitor could have imagined. The overpowering fervor Kai exhibited was like nothing Brooklyn had ever witnessed prior to battling him. Every other blader Brooklyn had faced before Kai viewed blading as he did – just a game.

The king of darkness did not know what it meant to exert any sort of effort upon the sport, or what it was like to lose. To him, Kai was an enigma - a fun game to toy with and to laugh at. The purple eyed blader was not one to be made into a mockery, however. He was a phoenix. He learned from every defeat handed to him, he rose from the ashes with more vigor than before, ready to get vengeance. Once again, the odds were stacked against him. Once again, destiny had already deemed Brooklyn the winner and had even showed the youth his triumph in an apparition.

But Kai knew it was important to make his own destiny, follow his own path.

To defeat God himself took more than just skill. It would be his emotions that would win this for him. All the determination that had built inside of him, all of the rage that was slowly rising to the surface was about to explode from within him like scalding hot lava. At this point however, even lava wasn't as hot as the conflagration of ambition that controlled his being. Every thought, every breath, every action was focused on one goal: bringing about the downfall of a God.

Kai had to do this. He had to prove to everyone he could win, but more importantly, he had to prove it to himself. Through grit and iron resolve he did everything he could to master the new hard metal system. His emotions had to be his guide and steer him through the murky waters of uncertainty. The phoenix found himself forced to call upon everything inside of him. All of his long held back sentiment had been saved for this day, for this sole purpose - the destruction of the deity of darkness.

He didn't hate Brooklyn for winning.

He didn't hate Brooklyn for what he was.

He hated Brooklyn for his perfection, for the natural talent that had been bestowed upon him.

Brooklyn was a being divine. Kai was not.

Brooklyn was a prodigy, a genius. Kai was not.

But, the heavens were in for a shock. The day of their battle Brooklyn had been arrogant and careless.

Perhaps this is what tempted fate and convinced it to change its original plan.

Perhaps this hadn't been fate's choice at all but Kai's own willpower at work.

Whatever the reason, God lost.

And the once calm supernatural being known as Brooklyn, was in a state of disarray, shaken to his foundation. How could someone so below him topple someone as celestial as he was? How could his vision have steered him wrong? It had been so clear to him...he had seen it with his own eyes. The look of anguish upon Kai's face as he was brought down, the annihilation of the phoenix's blade to shreds...he had even heard the shouts of the crowd, smelled the smoke of the fire that had been left by Kai's blade.

It wasn't supposed to have happened like that.

Kai never should have won.

But he did.

And now Brooklyn found himself lost, confused and slowly transforming from God, to a being darker than before. He would not lose again, never again. Brooklyn would defeat Tyson and once again take his rightful place as ruler of the universe. Still, the vision of the phoenix would not leave him. When Hiro had shown up, all he had seen was Kai.

Kai was haunting him.

Kai was destroying him.

But Kai would not win.

The redhead would end all this.

"Brooklyn...it's time for your battle," a voice called to him. The sound was familiar...but it sounded far off, distant, and in a different land altogether. "Brooklyn," the voice repeated more persistently this time, a hand resting on his shoulder. It felt so warm against his frozen flesh. His clothes could no longer keep him warm but the touch of a human being seemed to melt the ice encasing his body. Even through his clothes he could feel it, the heat sweeping beneath his shirt and into his skin, integrating with his soul. He would feed upon all the warmth he could find. "Brooklyn," the voice said again, giving him a small shake. It was becoming annoying. A growl ripped from the teen's throat as he turned his chilly gaze upon the source of the voice. It was Hiro. The elder male stiffened and removed his hand. Brooklyn hissed as ice once again covered his shoulder. The student snapped back to reality a frown gracing his features. "It's time for your match..." Hiro said once more, walking ahead of him.

The prodigy scoffed but followed, his heartbeat pounding in his eardrums. Brooklyn's head throbbed and it only worsened when he entered the noise filled arena. The incessant noise caused him to grit his teeth together. It had to stop. All the distraction had to go away. He wanted quiet, he wanted solitude. But all he got was more noise. His trance took over once more with no complaints from him, blocking out all sound and all sight except for that of Tyson.

Brooklyn was a being divine. Tyson was not.

Brooklyn was a prodigy, a genius. Tyson was not.

This time things would be different. This time Brooklyn would win.

A smirk spread across his lips at that thought, his eyes targeting Kai who stood in the shadows. He would redeem himself, he would regain his title as a God and would do it all in front of the one that had caused his downfall. A laugh resonated through the phoenix's ears, a surge of cold terror rushing through his spine. The two locked their gazes together, staring the other down, each looking at his own reflection.

They were more different than anyone could ever contemplate.

And yet they were more alike than they would ever know.


End file.
